Health marketplace draws younger Connecticut residents

HARTFORD >> Nearly one-third of enrollees in Connecticut’s health insurance marketplace are between 18 and 34 years old, early data show.

The numbers represent “a very good start,” said Kevin Counihan, CEO of the marketplace, called Access Health CT.

“Obviously, we’re all interested in making sure that the risk pool is as balanced as it can be,” said Counihan, speaking Tuesday at Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman’s Health Care Cabinet meeting in Hartford.

The marketplace, also known as an exchange, opened Oct. 1. Based on the 1,157 applications processed as of Sunday, 29 percent of enrollees were under 35.

Forty-five percent signed up for the middle-priced silver-tier plans, while 26 percent signed up for gold and 21 percent for bronze. Counihan said 4 percent bought catastrophic plans, available only to younger enrollees

Enrollment has continued to grow in the online insurance marketplace. As of 4 p.m. Tuesday, a total of 1,426 applications were processed. The call center had answered 8,762 calls and 109,861 visitors had come to the exchange’s website.

While he praised the exchange for its efforts so far, Eugene Market, CEO of East Hartford Community Healthcare Inc., said his and other health centers across the state have been unable to start enrolling their uninsured clients because they haven’t received the necessary certification.

Counihan acknowledged the exchange is “behind where we want to be” with registering the health centers and that he has been assured the problem will be fixed by the end of the week.